This year everything is all about built-in AI tools with which you can, for example, have telephone conversations translated live. The screen also gets a new look with a glass look and handy gadgets are added. For example, you no longer have to listen endlessly to annoying break music when you are on hold somewhere and unknown songs first have to send you a reason to you why they call you.
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Such a conference is an impressive madhouse. Hundreds of journalists from all over the world were invited by Apple this week to come to America for reporting, and I too was allowed to pack my suitcase. Normally it is virtually impossible to come in at Apple Park, the alien head office that is one of the most expensive buildings in the world (for comparison: the One World Trade Center in New York cost 3.9 billion dollars, the costs for Apple Park are estimated at 3.6 billion). It covers around 260,000 square meters and golf carts ride around everywhere, simply because it takes too long to walk from one room to the other.
During toilet visits I got completely lost. One time I suddenly stood face to face with the Emmy that Apple won for the Ted Lasso series. The other time I accidentally entered the staff canteen, which looked more like a ball organized by Michelin star chefs than in a place where you can just get a sandwich.
What sometimes overshadows the atmosphere is the influencer disease that Apple did not escape. In addition to hundreds of journalists, the company also invited hundreds of influencers. This is not a new phenomenon; Journalists and influencers are also regularly thrown together by communication agencies.
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Extremely remarkable. Because they are two completely different fields. Journalists want to obtain information and ask questions, also critical. Influencers only have a commercial purpose.
This difference became clear again during WWDC. Not only because influencers film themselves every once in a while, but also because of the hymn. While talking against the camera, a Swedish vlogger for a thousand dollars bought Apple merchandise. In the middle of the conference, an influencer shouted, naturally moving himself: “Apple, I love you!” Something you will not hear soon during a press conference in The Hague.
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It makes sense that Apple is happy with these walking billboards, but sometimes there is little time and space left for a sharp survey. Take the flopped rollout of AppleS AI software for example Apple Intelligence. He should have already appeared this year, but still represents relatively little. Developers did not talk about it during the press conference and later also remained vague with critical questions. Hopefully influencers do not make companies too spoiled, especially now that the power of Big Tech is increasingly under discussion.